[ EDITORIAL ]

Governor's Proposed Budget: Act of Self-Preservation

Published: Sunday, February 3, 2013 at 12:12 a.m.

Last Modified: Sunday, February 3, 2013 at 12:12 a.m.

Gov. Rick Scott laid out his proposed state budget Thursday in Tallahassee. The Legislature could use Scott's budget as a starting point when its annual session opens in March, or it could rip the proposal into confetti.

No matter the outcome, Scott will have gained political value by numerically defining policy shifts that are aimed at softening his record as a just-say-no slasher of state services.

Scott has learned that broad swaths of Florida's voters place great importance on state services — education, for instance — on which he had been brutal during his first year in office, 2011.

Indeed, in a December 2011 meeting with the Editorial Board, when asked what issue he was hearing about most as he visited residents across the state, Scott said education.

So it came as no surprise that educators from around Florida — including State University System Chancellor Frank Brogan and University of South Florida President Judy Genshaft, and many from K-12 public schools — formed a smiling semi-circle of support behind Scott as he unveiled the highlights of what he has named the Florida Families First budget.

The question is whether Scott's budget for July 2013 through June 2014 — the last full fiscal year before the November 2014 election — is aimed more at supporting state needs and residents' desires for state action, or his own need to reverse his status as one of the nation's worst-ranked governors in polls.

If passed, Scott's budget would set a spending record of $74.2 billion. It would exceed the state's largest budget, $73.8 billion in 2006-2007, by $400 million. And it would tower over the $69.9 billion budget signed by Scott last summer — a $4.3 billion increase.

It would do so via these changes:

EDUCATION: Scott got public school cuts of $1.3 billion in the first budget he signed. For this fiscal year, Scott sought a public school rebound and signed off on an increase of $1 billion, although that only offset growth in the school system. For 2013-2014, Scott seeks an increase of $1.25 billion.

The flagship feature is a $2,500 raise for all public school teachers. The raise would consume $480 million of the $1.25 billion for K-12 schools.

Funding per student would increase $412, from $6,387 to $6,799 as a state average. In Polk, it would increase $400, from $6,290 to $6,690.

The increases brought praise from educators across the state. In Bartow, interim Superintendent of Schools John Stewart said, "It is only natural I would applaud any action that would help us accomplish our mission of providing a high-quality education for all students."

STATE WORKERS: Employees have received no raise since 2006. In 2007, state workers received a one-time bonus of $1,000. Scott proposes one-time bonuses: $1,200 for those with a satisfactory evaluation, and, for as much as 35 percent of the workers, $2,500 for a commendable evaluation and $5,000 for an outstanding evaluation. State workers totaling 2,447 would lose their jobs; 1,200 vacant positions would be cut.

BUSINESS: Sales tax on equipment for businesses would be eliminated, at a cost of $115 million. About 2,000 businesses would be exempted from the corporate income tax at a cost of $20 million. Scott's long-term plan is to eliminate the tax, as a stimulus.

However, the compounding of such cuts in state revenue by Scott and his recent predecessors has withered the state's income, resulting in reduced services and no raises. These business perks would further limit government's ability to meet its obligations.

ENVIRONMENT: Spending on Everglades restoration would double to $60 million. Florida Forever, a program that buys environmental land for safekeeping, would receive $75 million after appearing all but dead in recent years. However, $50 million of the land-buying money would come from selling protected land that is now considered surplus.

The proposed expenditures are laudable.

However, the recent dismissal of the 58 of the most accomplished and experienced environmental experts in the Florida Department of Environmental Protection has undermined the state's ability to fend off threats to the quality of water, air and land.

Many aspects of Scott's budget would be improvements. Conversely, many cuts would weaken the state's well-being. If the Legislature uses Scott's budget as a reference, it must rectify these pitfalls.

<p>Gov. Rick Scott laid out his proposed state budget Thursday in Tallahassee. The Legislature could use Scott's budget as a starting point when its annual session opens in March, or it could rip the proposal into confetti.</p><p>No matter the outcome, Scott will have gained political value by numerically defining policy shifts that are aimed at softening his record as a just-say-no slasher of state services.</p><p>Scott has learned that broad swaths of Florida's voters place great importance on state services — education, for instance — on which he had been brutal during his first year in office, 2011.</p><p>Indeed, in a December 2011 meeting with the Editorial Board, when asked what issue he was hearing about most as he visited residents across the state, Scott said education.</p><p>So it came as no surprise that educators from around Florida — including State University System Chancellor Frank Brogan and University of South Florida President Judy Genshaft, and many from K-12 public schools — formed a smiling semi-circle of support behind Scott as he unveiled the highlights of what he has named the Florida Families First budget.</p><p>The question is whether Scott's budget for July 2013 through June 2014 — the last full fiscal year before the November 2014 election — is aimed more at supporting state needs and residents' desires for state action, or his own need to reverse his status as one of the nation's worst-ranked governors in polls.</p><p>If passed, Scott's budget would set a spending record of $74.2 billion. It would exceed the state's largest budget, $73.8 billion in 2006-2007, by $400 million. And it would tower over the $69.9 billion budget signed by Scott last summer — a $4.3 billion increase.</p><p>It would do so via these changes:</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>EDUCATION</strong>: Scott got public school cuts of $1.3 billion in the first budget he signed. For this fiscal year, Scott sought a public school rebound and signed off on an increase of $1 billion, although that only offset growth in the school system. For 2013-2014, Scott seeks an increase of $1.25 billion.</p><p>The flagship feature is a $2,500 raise for all public school teachers. The raise would consume $480 million of the $1.25 billion for K-12 schools.</p><p>Funding per student would increase $412, from $6,387 to $6,799 as a state average. In Polk, it would increase $400, from $6,290 to $6,690.</p><p>The increases brought praise from educators across the state. In Bartow, interim Superintendent of Schools John Stewart said, "It is only natural I would applaud any action that would help us accomplish our mission of providing a high-quality education for all students."</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>STATE WORKERS</strong>: Employees have received no raise since 2006. In 2007, state workers received a one-time bonus of $1,000. Scott proposes one-time bonuses: $1,200 for those with a satisfactory evaluation, and, for as much as 35 percent of the workers, $2,500 for a commendable evaluation and $5,000 for an outstanding evaluation. State workers totaling 2,447 would lose their jobs; 1,200 vacant positions would be cut.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>BUSINESS</strong>: Sales tax on equipment for businesses would be eliminated, at a cost of $115 million. About 2,000 businesses would be exempted from the corporate income tax at a cost of $20 million. Scott's long-term plan is to eliminate the tax, as a stimulus.</p><p>However, the compounding of such cuts in state revenue by Scott and his recent predecessors has withered the state's income, resulting in reduced services and no raises. These business perks would further limit government's ability to meet its obligations.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>ENVIRONMENT</strong>: Spending on Everglades restoration would double to $60 million. Florida Forever, a program that buys environmental land for safekeeping, would receive $75 million after appearing all but dead in recent years. However, $50 million of the land-buying money would come from selling protected land that is now considered surplus.</p><p>The proposed expenditures are laudable.</p><p>However, the recent dismissal of the 58 of the most accomplished and experienced environmental experts in the Florida Department of Environmental Protection has undermined the state's ability to fend off threats to the quality of water, air and land.</p><p>Many aspects of Scott's budget would be improvements. Conversely, many cuts would weaken the state's well-being. If the Legislature uses Scott's budget as a reference, it must rectify these pitfalls.</p>